...when CBS starts airing Big Brother 11 and I have three fewer hours per week of free time.

...when my wedding invitations are in the mail and H2B and I give each other the most enthusiastic high five of life.

...when 6 a.m. rolls around tomorrow and I don't need to get out of bed because it's a day off work. CANADA DAY! HOLLAAAAAAAAAAAA!

...when the sun is actually shining on a Saturday or Sunday and I'm laying on a towel in the sand with a stack of US Weeklies and In Touch-es.

...when I discover the magical ability to balance work/friends/relationships/family/home commitments/me time/volunteering/relaxing/going out/being selfish/being selfless.

*That being said, I'm pretty happy now. I think "I'll be happier when" is probably a more accurate title.

Today's post idea is courtesy of Mama Kat's Writing Workshop. The prompt I chose: "I'll be happy when _________________". Thanks Mama!

Glamour posted a link to an article today entitled "8 Little Things That Can Make You Unpretty". Since Glamour is pretty much my favourite magazine, I tend to heed their advice. I once read an article that says if you're out shopping and you see a piece of clothing that you like, you're supposed to leave it and only come back and buy it a) if you still like it the next day and b) if you can name three other things you can wear it with and three places/occasions you can wear it. HUGELY helpful. I have no doubt saved thousands of dollars based upon that one article alone, so props to Glamour.

Anyway, here are the eight things to avoid if you don't want to further unpretty your pretty little self:

1. Snapping your gum. I'm guilty of this from time to time. I'm not an excessive gum-snapper but I definitely do it in the car. I'm OK with being unpretty in the car.
2. Wearing a perma-pout. I don't think I do this, but I know I can wear quite the sour puss sometimes. Mental note: smile more!
3. Being a mirror-izer. I should probably be more of a mirror-izer. I'm fully capable of passing a reflective surface without gazing upon my reflection. I also go around with food in my teeth and my skirts on crooked a lot. This is one of the 150397589251 reasons why I don't have children. I can barely look after myself!
4. Tugging at your strapless top. Oooh yeah, this is a pet peeve of mine. People need to wear clothes that fit!
5. Cursing like a sailor. *hangs head in shame*
6. Primping in public. I hate even applying lip gloss in the bathroom at a bar. I will sneak into a stall for touch-ups. I don't like to draw attention to myself, so very rarely will I do more than hand lotion or lip balm at my desk.
7. Publicly criticizing your own body. This is such good advice! I'm really bad for this, but how much fun is it to sit around with your girlfriends harshing on your bodies? Not so much! Also, guys are oblivious to flaws, so if you don't point anything out, GUARANTEED he hasn't noticed and thinks you're perfect. Don't ruin the illusion. Mum's the word.
8. Frying your skin. I spent a year with the Canadian Cancer Society. I wear SPF 40 on my face all year round. I would rather eat cat feces than get in a tanning bed, honest to God. That shit will kill you. (So will cat feces, right? I also just swore. See point 5.)

Thanks, Glamour, for the what-not-to-do reminders!

+ Cook one new meal every week.
+ Do a Friday happy hour that starts at the office at 4PM and lasts until 3AM (and involves making the taxi driver do a McDonald's run on the way home).
+ Go swimming many many times.
+ Go camping at least twice.
+ See the tall ships and buskers.
+ Have our invitations in the mail by July 5.
+ Have our honeymoon booked by July 15.
+ Refresh my iPod. Take off the songs I skip every time. That means you, Chris Brown!
+ Start actually USING my camera. Take new pictures every weekend.
+ Make a piece of jewelry that isn't so hideous I'll actually wear it.
+ Make a piece of art for the house.
+ Get my tailoring done. Busted sundress and ripped pants and hemming aplenty.
+ Have a get-together.
+ Hunt for beach glass. Build a sand castle.
+ Take a road trip.
+ Write out my story plot before I forget it.
+ Donate old clothes.
+ Throw away old magazines. I do not need Cosmos and Glamours from 2004 but I act like they're precious literature.
+ Pay off my library fines so I can use the library again shame-free.
+ Go to the "lady doctor" and the dentist.
+ Order new glasses.
+ See fireflies (I'm convinced they are mythical, but I also thought pirates didn't exist)
+ Go thrifting and actually find something worth buying!